Linger
by wordsandswords
Summary: This is not your average Kylo Ren story of love at first sight or an undeniable force connection between sworn cosmic enemies. Nova (no va): A star showing a sudden large increase in brightness and then slowly returning to its original state over a few months. CW: Graphic sexual situations, potential violence
1. Iron (Part I)

**I**t had been ninety-three days since the arrival of the First Order on the emerald planet of D'Qar. Once home to General Leia Organa's underground Resistance headquarters, the planet's succulent plains were now trodden beneath Supreme Leader Ren's new industrial base.

Kylo Ren had not celebrated his victories over Snoke and the Resistance for long before becoming obsessed with the construction of this massive Imperial outpost. D'Qar's seclusion meant that Ren's administration could return its priority to training for future opposition—If any enemies proved senseless enough to _try_, that is.

Unlike the Resistance, the First Order did not allow D'Qar's residents to carry on with their lives unthreatened. Troopers were deployed to storm the cities for resources and potential recruits. Any native who dared question the morality in these actions faced immediate execution.

* * *

"Girl, come here," a shrill male voice ordered from the gate of the base's engineering service wing.

He stood impatiently as the maid, known as Nova to her peers, set the needle wedged between her thumb and index finger carefully on her desk, ensuring that the slim black thread did not escape its hold.

"You are to begin your rounds early this morning. All officials will require fresh attire for the midday meeting."

Nova studied the Imperial insignias across the breast of the man's pressed shirt to determine his rank. Not that it mattered—almost everyone on this base had authority over her.

"Yes, officer," she responded obediently but did not bother to straighten the neck of her blouse or wipe the stray strand of auburn hair from across her face as they interacted.

* * *

As Nova neared the fluorescent-lit corridor at the north wing of the base, she parked the cart holding freshly laundered towels across the hall from the chamber doors. The lack of domestic droids to perform these tasks once perplexed her, but it quickly became apparent that the Order need not waste resources on droids when they had so many humans at their _disposal. _

Most members of the First Order had shared quarters. No base would be large enough for the great legion of stormtroopers to have the luxury of private chambers. But the far end of the north wing was different; four individual chambers for the highest-ranking leaders of the Order.

Nova waved her arm in front of the automated lock on private chamber A-1 as the gate slid open swiftly. She couldn't help but glance at the small pink scar on her pale wrist—a reminder of how dispensable she was to this entire operation.

_"Do not dare misuse this privilege, girl. We will not hesitate to tear the chip from your skin if you disobey Imperial orders." _She recalled the words of the officer tasked with her initiation.

Her small steps on the linoleum floor were hurried as she moved directly to the steel laundry receptacle in the corner of the room. She collected the worn garments from the bin before placing two fresh body towels at the entrance to the washroom.

The mechanical door shut tightly behind her as she left, sorting out the general's used attire in her hands before placing them deliberately in the cart across the hall. Though she had not had the _pleasure _of meeting these high-ranking directors, she could tell a lot from the way their personal items soiled with wear. She acknowledged how sordid and likely perverted these observations were, but it did not prevent her from speculating. _Something_ had to help pass the time in her mundane life.

A coy smirk formed across her rosette lips as she took note of the stains on the general's_...hand_ towel.

_"What a lonely life," _she thought to herself. She couldn't be sure that the rumors of celibacy oaths among First Order leaders were true, but she'd seen enough stained undergarments and towels to believe it herself.

Nova had no place poking fun at these men, though—she was just as lonely and chaste herself. The crude servicemen who made sexual passes at her daily only furthered her appreciation for the ease at which her fingers could relieve that _tension. _She detached herself from the carnal thoughts and continued her rounds down the hall.

The final chamber in the wing was different than the others. The chip implanted in the underside of her wrist did not work on this door as no one was permitted access to the private room. The massive apartment belonged to Supreme Leader Ren, and it was rumored that the space contained its own state-of-the-art training hall.

Nova collected the wardrobe pieces from the durasteel bin secured against the wall outside of the chamber door. Kylo Ren's garments never truly appeared soiled, but she did find herself sewing torn seams and replacing items of leather clothing altogether from frequent physical strain.

As she bent forward to grab the last damp towel from the bottom of the receptacle, the lurid sound of the automatic door opening caused her to stand quickly. In an alarming jolt, she carelessly thumped the back of her head on the hood of the bin.

"Son of a—"she stammered, rubbing her head gently with the palm of her hand.

It took a moment, but she finally acknowledged the dark figure looming in the doorway. The only sound she could hear was the modulated breaths echoing from behind his helmet.

Nova's petite body iced as her stare shifted cautiously from the towels she had dropped to the man towering before her. Though they had never met, she had heard enough of him to know that she may be better off wading in the Spikeshark-infested waters of Nar after making such a foolish impression.

"I am so sorry, sir. Oh, commander. No..." She cursed at her dawdling mind as she struggled to find the proper terms to address the masked ruler only feet away.

Kylo Ren studied her delicate features as he struggled to suppress the rage expanding in his veins. The only reason he found for delaying a violent gut reaction was to prolong the twisted _satisfaction_ of watching the chambermaid cower beneath him.

Despite what the galaxy believed to be true about the Supreme Leader, many of his former actions which earned him both success and a name synonymous with evil were a result of immaturity. While internal growth meant less petulant outbursts and increased control over his force sensitivity, Ren's unmerciful approach to mass violence and tyranny has hardly changed.

The leader's silence perplexed Nova as she wished desperately to see beneath his helmet. She had developed a knack for reading facial expressions and using them to her advantage. Unable to discern the fact that her staring had gone on too long, she once again spoke out of turn.

"Your helmet, it's cracked."

"Excuse me?" Kylo snorted, peering down menacingly at the girl.

"I...I mean, surely it can be mended," she stuttered in an attempt to recover from an interaction that was sure to end in her demise.

"How naïve. _My _helmet cannot be repaired so easily," he chuckled without wavering the intense posture across his broad shoulders.

Nova could not _fathom _where her inability to keep her godforsaken mouth shut had stemmed from. She knew better—surely she had not grown ignorant to how little her life meant after the First Order occupied D'Qar.

"Get out of my sight," his voice bellowed beneath the modulator, appalled by the girl's boldness yet unwilling to permanently reprimand her just yet.

She nodded in shame, her flushed cheeks and inability to look him in the face personifying the embarrassment flooding beneath her skin.

_"Sarrassian iron," _she remembered her father's armory vividly while hurrying back to the cart parked across the cold hallway.

"Wait," Kylo's voice returned, igniting another shockwave of fear in the pit of her empty stomach.

She nervously pulled at the hem of her tight fabric uniform while pivoting back to face the peculiar leader at his chamber door.

"Come," he commanded as his leather-gloved hand raised to summon her to him. "How do you know of Sarrassian iron?" He continued.

Nova was perplexed for a moment, questioning if she had spoken those words aloud and not realized it. The moment of confusion ended abruptly as she remembered who she was dealing with and the _powers _he infamously possessed. "_Duh."_

"My father, sir. He was the armorer in my home city here on D'Qar."

"And where is he today?" The leader's forceful tone had subsided, but the interaction still felt like an interrogation to Nova.

"He was killed, sir..." she took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "...When _your_ legion landed and attempted to force him from his trading post," she spat.

Perhaps it was because she hadn't spoken of her father in months, but the suppressed emotions crawled from beneath her skin in anguish. It inhibited her habitual pleasant tone and intrinsic ability to follow orders. Her glazed nails left crescent prints on the top of her hands as they clasped tightly.

"Tragic," he muttered. "And what do _you_ remember of his craft?"

Kylo's unmovable and cynical tone frustrated her.

"I grew up in that armory—I remember it _all. _Sarrassian ironwork was our livelihood."

He studied the servant, intrigued by the gentle nature that emanated from her core, yet thrown by the arrogance of her remarks.

"You are to assess the fracture in my helmet."

Nova's limbs buckled beneath her. _"Surely there are professional craftsmen in his command..."_

"Of course there are—don't be _ignorant_. The First Order's armor is the finest in the galaxy," he responded to her thoughts as his wide knuckles went white in the refuge of leather gloves.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to question your command."

Regaining composure from the exhilaration of having total control over such an ethereal creature, Ren continued.

"But these men do not possess knowledge of Sarrassian iron. You are to report back to my chamber promptly upon daybreak. Do you understand my orders, girl?"

The emotions conquering Nova's nervous system all begged to be articulated. She detested the way he addressed her as if she was foreign. _"How pathetic that a man so undeniably powerful cannot speak fairly to someone he needs help from," _she sneered silently.

Internal panic ensued once again as she recalled his ability to probe every single thought that grazed her mind. She shut her pale eyes in a wince, preparing for the worst.

But in refined malice, Kylo Ren chose not to address the girl's insult. Her eyes widened to the vibration of his steel-toed boots descending the corridor, turning to catch only a glimpse of his cloaked silhouette before it disappeared in the direction of the atrium.

_"I am fucked."_

**A/N: Hi! Welcome to my first SW story. I only have one more chapter done so **_**please **_**feel free to leave comments and suggestions. Future chapters will be shorter. I'm excited to delve into Nova's character and this relationship! ;)**


	2. Light (Part II)

Despite the globe of anxiety revolving restlessly in her stomach, Nova managed to sleep soundly in her bunk that evening. Perhaps her body's survival instincts had gone to work and allowed exhaustion to overcome anticipation for once.

Her jade eyes opened hastily as the sharp fluorescent light overhead flickered as if it were just waking up, too. There were no true windows in the industrial division of the base—only lights that mimicked the sun's phases to ensure that workers would rise promptly each morning.

Nova stepped swiftly from the end of her bed to the exposed sink in the corner of the chamber, filling a steel cup with cold water for drinking and taking a moment to rinse the last remnants of sleep from her lithe skin.

It took only a moment for her to shimmy out of her rayon nightgown and into the black, structured uniform provided by the Order. It was by no means elegant, but apparently it framed her elusive curves just enough for the men in her unit to take notice.

"And where are you off to?" A chamber mate's voice startled her as she pulled a leather boot over her knee.

"I am to report early today."

The man nodded suspiciously before drifting back to sleep without thought.

* * *

Kylo Ren had not wasted a moment of thought on the maid while he performed his duties in the base's command center after their brief interaction. However, that changed as he patted his face dry after an overdue shower to ease the ache in his shoulder muscles.

"Mm," an involuntary sigh escaped his damp lips.

It took him a moment to isolate the sense of serenity he found as he wrapped the same towel slackly around his carved abdomen.

Another chirp of a whine parted his lips as he made the connection—_the towel. _Reaching for another fresh towel folded skillfully on the vanity, he inhaled deeply as the slate fabric found his pointed nose again.

_The girl._

Astoundingly unlike him, Kylo fell asleep that evening in only a towel as he wracked his overworked brain for an understanding of how a scent encountered less than twelve hours earlier could feel so evocative.

* * *

_"I wonder if he can…hear me," _Nova quizzed herself as she fought the instinctive urge to flee from the Supreme Leader's door. _"Do I knock?" _

She stood silently for a moment before the mechanical entrance to the chamber slid open without being prompted. Kylo Ren's monotone figure filled the entryway.

"You could really read my mind through the walls?" The anxiety beneath her bones exploded outwardly as she asked a useless question before even addressing her ruler properly.

"I heard your footsteps…" The masked man's restrained response made Nova feel like a foolish child. "Come," he commanded as he took a hasty step to the side.

That elusive floral scent lingered below him as she entered, causing him to recall the restful slumber it induced last night. He would not allow those events any measure in his professional conduct today, though.

Outside of extenuating circumstances such as medic visits and the need for occasional structural renovations to his training hall, Kylo Ren did not make a habit of inviting others into his private space. But after encountering the maid and learning of her rare knowledge of Sarrassian iron, he considered this need great enough.

Great enough to reveal himself, even. After all, it would be nonsensical to concern himself with the opinion of a meager First Order servant.

Nova scanned what she could of the apartment without moving her head as to not appear _too_ nosy. There was a wide-framed bed with tussled linens, a kitchenette with a tea kettle freshly used, an executive desk, and two more doors which she correctly assumed led to his training area and lavatory.

"Sit. Tell me how you would use the iron to mend these blemishes," Ren broke her from her snooping.

She was intrigued by the way he referred to the cracks on his helmet as blemishes—as if he were describing his own face beneath. Sitting stiffly on a metal bench affixed to the wall, she began to detail her knowledge of Sarrassian ironwork. It was quite apparent to her that the leader was intrigued by the permanent red impressions left by forged Sarrassian iron.

After rambling on far too long about a passion that she had never quite admitted she had, her mind shifted focus abruptly.

"I... May I take a closer look, Supreme Leader?" Nova began to stand cautiously, flipping a loose strand of hair from her face as she took a step in his direction.

"No!" Kylo Ren roared defensively as she sat back down instantly.

She would have sworn that he used the force to seat her if she hadn't been made so aware of her utter obedience in his command. A string of incoherent apologies escaped her rounded lips as the tension in the room engulfed her senses.

_"Why is he so afraid to remove the helmet? What the hell is underneath?"_

Kylo Ren did not speak or move as he sorted through her conflicting emotions.

"I am going to remove my helmet for you to examine."

Nova sat shocked for a moment at the seeming revelation. It was then she realized that perhaps he was not so much afraid of revealing his own face, but rather _perturbed_ by the idea of her approaching him so closely.

And despite her unwavering curiosity of the features that he was about to unveil, a dodgy aspiration to experience his capricious reaction to touch dwelled in her mind.


	3. Savor (Part III)

**N**ova feigned patience as the Supreme Leader's gloved hands moved from his sides to grip his helmet. She was fully aware that he had revealed his face to many; it was naïve of her to believe that this was special.

She had forgotten that there was a voice modulator in the gear until it was fully removed from his head. Even the reverb in the breaths still captive in his lungs seemed different. Kylo held the helmet innately with one hand while the other brushed a damp lock of raven hair from his forehead.

Without having to probe her thoughts, he knew that the nymph-like worker sat before him was studying every visible feature she could. He relished in the adrenaline radiating from her blood as she assumed that he would be offended by her ogling. Really, it allowed him an uninterrupted moment to scan the divinities of her anatomy as well.

_"__How old is he?"_ Nova was perplexed by the contrast between his smooth complexion and the fixed scar that disturbed it.

Kylo's russet eyes met hers for the first time. "I'm twenty-nine. And I will not answer any more useless questions, do you understand?"

The timber in his voice filled the silent chamber theatrically.

"I'm nineteen," she replied recklessly, not even acknowledging his request for confirmation.

His brow furrowed in frustration, though a flicker of perversion lingered behind his eyes. "I asked you a question, girl."

Nova began to form an apology, but a realization took precedence in her words as he spat the word 'girl' at her again.

"You haven't even asked my _name_."

A short chuckle lifted the ends of Kylo's parted lips.

"Why would I need to know your name, _girl_? I will address you as I see fit."

The bitterness that laced his tongue as he emphasized 'girl' made Nova nauseous.

But he _savored_ the taste as if it were the last bite of Jogan fruit cake in the galaxy.

"I apologize, sir. It won't happen again," she faked remorse before standing briskly.

The Supreme Leader flinched as she stepped toward him again in frustration. Without hesitation, he raised a contorted fist in her direction and listened to the sound of her frame meeting the cold tiles beneath them.

Despite the discomfort that pulsed through her body, Nova wanted to regale in the fact that she had just experienced the force. However, she was even keener that the little 'experiment' had confirmed her suspicions.

"Are you _afraid_ to be _touched_?" She peered up at him with bony elbows bracing her torso.

Kylo's stature hardened almost mechanically, appalled by her behavior. Nova herself could not grasp where the ignorance of her actions came from.

The wasp of her fall had left a faint trace of _that _fragrance in the air surrounding his exposed face. But, unfortunately for her, fleeting hesitation of his senses would not hinder the Supreme Leader's propensity for retaliation.

"Get up."

* * *

**A/N: Short chapter, but please leave me some feedback! I'm doing my best not to rush into the physicality yet because I don't want it to burn out too quickly. We want it to...linger. (as I run off and write a smut chapter probably)**


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